The Sun seeks Column Idol 2010

Media Trust has joined forces with The Sun to offer 16-21 year olds the chance to write their own column with the support of some of the Sun’s top journalists, including seasoned political columnist Trevor Kavanagh and Bizarre Editor Gordon Smart.

The nationwide quest seeks to find undiscovered writers who deserve to take the title of Column Idol 2010.

The hunt is being supported by rapper Dizzee Rascal and singer-songwriter Diana Vickers.

Those judged to have the best six ideas will receive training and mentoring to bring their creative idea to life, write their own column and pitch it to a panel of experts. The overall winner will have their column printed in The Sun newspaper for all to see. The competition is specifically looking to support young people in England who feel their voice is unheard and wouldn’t usually have access to an opportunity like this.

‘Everybody’s got a talent, everybody’s got a skill, some people just don’t have the belief. It doesn’t matter what background you come from, some of the greatest minds were from poor backgrounds, what they had was the drive, the work ethic and the vision. A newspaper like The Sun is informative and entertaining so that is exactly what your column needs to be. It is the same with music, you want to entertain people but tell them something at the same time. My tip to entrants would be, if you have a strong point of view about something you should use that, and I always think it is important to put humour into whatever you write, show your passion and your personality.’ Dizzee Rascal

I love being creative and can sometimes find it hard to express my emotions so I do it through lyrics. Hearing the final product, or in the case of a columnist seeing your final piece in a newspaper, is a brilliant buzz. It gives me a real sense of pride to hear a finished song and it would be the same seeing your finished column in a newspaper. It’s an amazing feeling.’ Diana Vickers